TECH: The Compact Disc Turns 30, with Nine Things We Loved About Them

Do you remember the thrill of your first CD purchase? Or the hours you spent making a mix and picking the perfect songs for your crush? The compact-disc just turned 30 years old, making now the perfect time to sit back and reminisce.

The Next Web pegs the beginning of the CD era to the re-issue of Billy Joel’s 52nd Street album on October 1, 1982. The album, released at the same time as Sony’s first CD player (the CDP-101), was the first compact-disc available for consumer consumption. Gizmodo also notes that CDs were intended merely to replace vinyl records, but that the release of the CD-ROM in 1985 turned the new format into an even larger phenomenon.

Today, the CD seems like a clunky, outmoded technology next to digital audio files we store on our mobile devices or streaming services we subscribe to and access via the cloud. But that doesn’t mean we don’t miss the days of when the Discman was ubiquitous and the burned playlist was an art form. Sure, we’re fully aware digitally downloaded songs don’t scratch or snap in half, and that they don’t take up space on our shelfs. But who dosen’t have a soft spot for their old CD collection?

Below, we’ve gathered the top nine things we miss about CDs. Do you have something to add to our list? Let us know in the comments section. Let the nostalgia begin!